In a first, Malaysia police and govt tie-up to educate kids on dangers of Islamic State

In a first of its kind collaboration between the education ministry and the police in Malaysia, the police will be holding talks with students of the country about the perils of Islamic State.

The Malaysian Insider quoted the Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon and said, "Together with the police and security forces, we will start disseminating information in schools this year." Even though Malaysia has built a reputation of a moderate Muslim state, there have been a number of Islamic State-related arrests in the nation in recent years.

Recruits being trained by Islamic State in a file photo. Reuters

This comes in the backdrop of the terrorist organisation gaining more and more sympathy in the Muslim nation.

According to this report in Al-Jazeera, Malaysia's transport minister in December had said that at least 50,000 people in the country of 30 million supported the Islamic State. Liow Tiong said the figure is based on police intelligence estimates.

"If only 1 percent of these sympathizers turn radical and if they attack any part of Malaysia, we will be in trouble," Liow was quoted as saying December last.

According to a report in Foreign Policy, more than 112 individuals were arrested by the Malaysian police for either joining the Islamic State or attempting to the leave the country to join the terrorist group since 2013.

The Pew Research Center, in a November 2015 poll, found that about 67 percent of Muslims in Malaysia were opposed to Islamic State — 21 percent were undecided.

Islamic State has in the last few years launched a massive campaign online and otherwise to brainwash and recruit youth from across the world.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had told the Parliament last year that, "The involvement of Malaysians in militant activities in the name of Islam has tarnished the country’s image and affected the purity of Islam."